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Re: Yasmani Grandal

From MLBTR:

College shortstop Christian Colon was always the Royals' top choice at #4, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The Royals told Dutton that links to Yasmani Grandal and Chris Sale were a smokescreen.

This doesn't make any sense to me. When you can't trade picks, why would you need a smokescreen- at least in a situation where there was a consensus top 3, and Colon wasn't a part of it? Maybe I could understand if they were using Grandal as a smokescreen in order to drive Colon's price down, but they haven't agreed to a deal yet, so there is no point to that. This just doesn't make any sense.

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Originally Posted by Benihana

From MLBTR:

This doesn't make any sense to me. When you can't trade picks, why would you need a smokescreen- at least in a situation where there was a consensus top 3, and Colon wasn't a part of it? Maybe I could understand if they were using Grandal as a smokescreen in order to drive Colon's price down, but they haven't agreed to a deal yet, so there is no point to that. This just doesn't make any sense.

You answered your own question. I think the "smokescreen" (if true) was to drive Colon's price down. Perhaps they made a gentlemen's agreement with his agent that "We'll pay you X if we take you with the #4 pick." Colon didn't want to risk slipping out of the top 10 and took the deal.

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Since KC and Cleveland were interested and perhaps talked with his people about signability does that mean Grandal will still want 4-5 slot money from the Reds at 12. If the Reds sign him I have the feeling that they will have to go above slot to do it. All indications before the draft was that the Reds were unwilling to do that.

I agree with Mario to an extent on the scouting report in that coming out of HS this kid was supposed to be a defensive wizard, now reading some of the reports out there it shows that his footwork needs polish and his pop times to 2nd have slowed since HS. I think the kid will grow on me as I hear he is a natural leader and catchers are so hard to come by. It really depends on if the Reds can get him into camp and start working with him quickly.

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Originally Posted by Blitz Dorsey

You answered your own question. I think the "smokescreen" (if true) was to drive Colon's price down. Perhaps they made a gentlemen's agreement with his agent that "We'll pay you X if we take you with the #4 pick." Colon didn't want to risk slipping out of the top 10 and took the deal.

Course, maybe this is just some local spin from the KC paper.

If Colon signs in the next day or two, I agree.

But I'm not sure that he will. Assuming no deal was in place, why would they have a smokescreen?

Re: Yasmani Grandal

I remember that too. Scouts said the reason he hit the ball to left field so much was because he didn't have the bat speed to turn on a fastball. That proved to be a ridiculous statement.

I don't know for sure but I heard that once from the guy blogging for ESPN in the Futures game the year Joey went. I assumed he had to have some sort of experience to comment plus the fact he was working for ESPN I maybe gave him a bit too much credit. But just so were clear I never said his bat was slow I just always felt it was neccessary to add that this guy stated it and I wondered on occasion if he was right. It appears he was wrong but it's always worth mentioning everything just so we can look for it/ be prepared for it. IMO it's better to not get our expectations too high if there is any reason whatsoever for doubt. I know you weren't referring to me OBM just know that some will think I stated his bat speed wasn't up to par and want to set that record straight from the get go. But that is the only place I ever heard about Votto's bat speed being a potential issue.

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Grandal is a switch-hitter, but his left-handed swing is superior to his right-handed swing, something that has shown up in his splits this year. From the left side, he doesn't stride in BP and his front side is very rigid, but he did step forward in games and had a more consistent weight transfer. He has good hip rotation and excellent follow-through, with a swing path that should produce above-average power. From the right side, he lacks the same bat speed and his swing is more linear, with a weak finish where he turns his wrists over and flattens the swing out.

Behind the plate, Grandal has always been solid, and his arm remains plus and accurate, with a quick release. He's a well below-average runner, but he moves his feet well behind the plate. He's the top college catcher in the country, can absolutely stay behind the plate, and hits well enough to be an above-average player in the majors.

Law seems to think highly of him, chalk one up for the pro pick bunch.

Frame:
Grandal has a large, lean, muscular frame. Close to filled-out, he moves reasonably well for his size and should not have to worry about a position switch due to further growth. He also shows solid flexibility and athleticism.

Swing:
Grandal sets-up and loads well, with his hands high and in good position to strike the quadrants. He gets good extension, though it comes a little early at times and with a longish swing. Though the Miami backstop shows big raw power both pre- and in-game, he can struggle with pitch-ID, showing some trouble with off-speed stuff and getting well out in front. He has a good understanding of the strike zone but has pressed a little this summer, uncharacteristically expanding the zone and failing to make consistent contact.

Defense:
Grandal moves well behind the plate and is an adequate receiver. He shows solid footwork but could stand to clean-up his catch-and-throw skills a bit, gunning down just over 20% of would-be-basestealers last spring. With average arm strength and accuracy a tick below, I have his pop times hovering around 2.12. Like most amateur catchers, he'll need to improve on his game calling as a pro.

Nick's Notes:
There is big time upside in Grandal's bat, though he'll need to tighten his swing some and improve his pitch-ID to fully tap into his power. His bat speed, as well as his struggles with wood this summer, could cause him to slip down some boards, despite his leading the Hurricanes last year with 16 homeruns. Though some of the luster may be off, Grandal is still one of the top catchers to watch in the 2010 class, and he'll have plenty of eyes on him as he takes cuts in the middle of the Miami order this spring. Cutting down on his large stride could help him with the off-speed stuff, as it would allow him to prevent from committing to the pitch too early.

SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):The top high-school catcher in the 2007 draft to attend college, Grandal was viewed as a potential first-rounder that year before becoming an afterthought because of signability concerns. He has always had the ingredients to be a top-level catcher—arm strength, clean release, quick feet, durable body and leadership skills—but hasn’t blossomed in college at the plate as scouts predicted. In high school, Grandal led the talented Miami-area prep ranks in home runs and RBIs, but batted only .234-7-28 as a freshman at Miami. He appeared to come on strong as a sophomore for the Hurricanes, hitting .299-16-45, only to regress during the summer with USA Baseball’s college national team. He hit just .182 with three homers, and his poor showing at the plate raised a red flag or two among scouts, particularly when he let his emotions get the better of him, on occasion, and impacted his play behind the plate. Through the first half of the 2010 season, he led Miami with a .388 average, but his home-run total had slipped to three. A switch-hitter, Grandal has greater bat speed and more power from the left side, but generally feels more comfortable and is a better overall hitter from the right side. More than anything, he’ll need to shorten his swing at the next level as he makes a full-time adjustment to wood. Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Grandal has one of the strongest throwing arms in the country and blocks the ball well, though his receiving skills are open to question. His demeanor and game-calling skills are obvious strengths. A native of Cuba who came to the United States with his mother at age 8, Grandal played shortstop until he was 15 years old before outgrowing that position and moving behind the plate. There was a long line of big-league teams ready to give Grandal top-round money out of high school, but his commitment to play for hometown Miami was unwavering and he slid to the Boston Red Sox in the 27th-round of the 2007 draft. He’ll just need to continue to hit with more consistency as a junior to return to first-round consideration in 2010.—ALLAN SIMPSON

UPDATE (5/15): Grandal has emphatically answered all the questions about his bat with a torrid run through ACC play that pushed his numbers to .425-12-53 (through mid-May). He has adjusted well against quality pitching, as well, which was evidenced by a May 14 matchup against Georgia Tech’s Deck McGuire, when he hit an opposite-field home run against a changeup away and a double off the center field wall on a high fastball. There are increasing concerns about his ability to hit from the right side, as he continues to struggle in game action from that side, but he has given no indication that he is willing to give up switch-hitting. He has secured a place as the top catcher available behind Bryce Harper.—ANDY SEILER

PGCC seems to like him and think his LH swing is good enough as well as his arm. 2-1 pro pick folks.

BA: Don't have access to BA so I'll just point to this from Cedric in the draft thread.

Originally Posted by Cedric

Read two reports about lack of bat speed with Grindal. One from BA. There isn't anything scarier than drafting a kid that early and he can't hit with a wooden bat.

I'd say there is enough there that we shouldn't just expect him to be worthy of the pick for sure.

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Why is this thread automatically in the minor league forum? Hasn't Mike Leake taught us anything? Grandal might never play an inning in the minor leagues. Move this thread to the ORG where it belongs. ;-)

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Originally Posted by Blitz Dorsey

Dane Sardinah? Wow you are going back about a decade there. He never made it and is now out of baseball I believe. (Or is still in the minors with another organization at best.) Maybe you meant Devin Mesoraco. And yes, I think the team believes Grandal and Mez are the future at the position.

Re: Yasmani Grandal

Originally Posted by Blitz Dorsey

Dane Sardinah? Wow you are going back about a decade there. He never made it and is now out of baseball I believe. (Or is still in the minors with another organization at best.) Maybe you meant Devin Mesoraco. And yes, I think the team believes Grandal and Mez are the future at the position.

I got to watch both Sardinha and David Espinosa play for the Mud Hens a couple of years ago. Good times.

Re: Yasmani Grandal

From Jeff Sackmann at THT:

12. Yasmani Grandal - Reds. Love it, love it, love it. I would've popped Grandal at 4 or 5. He'll be expensive, but he was definitely the best player left on the board here. It creates a little bit of a logjam with Devin Mesoraco's emergence, but that's no reason to skip a top-10 talent.

Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.

Re: Yasmani Grandal

I'm betting given that Grandal shares tons of similarites with Alonso - Same School, same agent, same hitting numbers - that it goes down to the wire and he only plays in the AFL this year.

And for anyone wondering about Mesorasco & Soto - Take a gander at the Angels & Rangers recent history with highly rated catchers in the minor league system. Some of those guys are going to fail - plain & simple. Doesn't hurt to have a backup plan at a premium position.

It's insane that the Reds have been a catching wasteland for so long, and now the team is rife with potential big league catchers.

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